Silk knotting cord is considered the best quality material for knotting pearls and semi-precious stone. Silk is a natural material, comes in a wide range of colors and diameters, and is sold spooled or in packaged, pre-cut lengths. When selecting a silk color it is best to choose a color that is slightly deeper in tone than the predominant bead color. If the design indicates, choosing a complementary or contrasting silk color may be very effective.

Create this beautiful single-strand pearl necklace from the Random House book "Simply Pearls" by Beadworks co-founder Nancy Alden. This design uses top-drilled "teardrop" pearls to create a "bigger" look - arranging these pearls so that they fall on opposite sides of the thread, gives each trio of small pearls the same effect as a single large pearl.

Please join us on Sunday, September 17, from noon to 4pm at the Beadworks Providence store for a special reception and Pearl Trunk Show. We will be unveiling our newly renovated shop and expanded assortment of semi-precious stones. Meet "Simply Pearls" author and renowned jewelry designer Nancy Alden Wall; copies of her latest book will be available, as will be Nancy's thoughts and expertise in jewelry design. In addition, we are especially pleased to include a pearl trunk show with a tremendous offering of pearls in various sizes, shapes and colors that Nancy brought back from her recent travels to Asia. Nancy, who write and designs under the name Nancy Alden, is co-founder of The Beadworks Group, one of the world's largest retailers of beads.

Here's a tip for up-to-date accessorizing. When in doubt, multiply. That's right. This fall's look emphasizes layers of accessories and mixing, rather than matching, textures.

The Pantone color palette for this fall is a welcome group of comforting classics. With metals still the popular trend in jewelry, expect to see lots of rich, textured hues in clothing to compliment chain and gemstones.